Not in the Face!

Why do I have a headache?

In a World of Darkness

Playing Halo 3 is a joy. And I'm starting to get the hang of it in multiplayer, so that I can at least be competitive most of the time. I don't usually win, but I compete, and am still around with two minutes remaining as a threat to win.

One of the big advantages I have is that I play Halo 3 on my projector. This gives me a level of detail (in high resolution and massive size) that most players simply don't have. From across the room I can see my enemies spent shells flying out of their assault rifle while they shoot at me. I can see what weapon is on the ground long before I get to it. I can aim more accurately because the targets are bigger.

Unfortunately, this comes at a price. Projector bulbs have shorter life spans than hamsters on crack, and when they get old, the get dim. I turned on my projector Saturday night for a healthy dose of "Friends List Team Slayer" and it was very dark.

Now normally, it is bright enough that I can still see clearly even with the powerful lighting built into the ceiling. I play with the main lights off, only having the stairwell light on for ambient lighting. Now, even with all the lights off, my screen, which used to look like this:


now looks like this:


You can imagine my dismay at firing up my 360 only to see that I can't see anything at all. Well, not much. But I was a trooper, so I tried a game of Lone Wolves - and got 5th place - and that was due to the 6th place guy lagging out halfway through the match.

Loath to admit I would need to move the 360 up to the den (and the lowly 25" non-HD TV), I got invited to the Friends List festivities. It was team slayer on High Ground. I'm not very good at that map for some reason. I never have been. But normally I can get close to breaking even with my Kill/Death ratio. To make matters worse, it was the first time most of these guys had seen me with my shiny new Major star.

I ended up with 4 kills and died 16 times, which is abysmal, even for me. Grumpy and embarrassed by my lack of performance, I backed out of the lobby after saying goodbye and didn't play at all the rest of the night or Sunday. So here it is Monday night, and I'm hesitant to go move the Xbox 360 up to the den.

I'll ultimately need to buy a new projector bulb (again), but at $250+, it won't be right away. So my days of 5 speaker Dolby Surround and 95" screen goodness are over for the time being. It's as if my SPARTAN'S helmet's visor went from normal size to this.



It could be worse, I could have gotten the red ring of death.

Movin' On Up

I'm happy to say I made it: Level 30 in Lone Wolves. Now I'm a Major. I've been gunning for that star for a couple of weeks, trying to win enough to games through pure luck to level up.

In the end I got the star while playing Team Slayer with some of the Geezers, Duck and CyberKnight. Winning with those guys gave me the experience points needed.

So now I'm satisfied. I can rest, and play Big Team Battle all the time. I don't need to ever level up again.... that's it. Yeah...

Still... that Brigadier insignia looks pretty cool. And I'm just 10 or 15 points away from that...

Random Image of the Week 2

Don't forget your government issue socks and briefs.

Solstice01's Photo Series: The Wildlife of Halo

As I've mentioned previously, having access to a Theater Lobby is significant as a development for modern gaming. One of the benefits to it is that you can look around the levels at how much detail Bungie has put into their Halo games. I have a computer animation degree, and can tell you with some authority that it is time consuming and challenging to create what they've done.

That said, while playing through campaign and multiplayer, I began to notice various animals going about their business while the bullets flew and the grenades stuck. So here is my first entry into Solstice01's Photo Series, called "The Wildlife of Halo."

One quick note: the background information and names are all my speculation, which will be true for everything I write in this series, so take everything with a grain of salt.

Enjoy...

Halo Cranes in Flight

Present on many worlds, it is believed that these elegant fliers were seeded through the galaxy by the Forerunners.

Halo Crane

Note the morphology of the Halo crane. It is believed that these cranes utilize both thermal and dynamic soaring and can stay aloft for days at a time.

Gull

Earth-based flora and fauna were spread across the colonies. Gulls in particular flourish on many worlds.

Golden Pit Dove

The golden pit dove utilizes Batesian Mimicry to survive the Outcreed Falcons that hunt them. The doves resemble the poisonous fleece kites that the falcons avoid.

Plasma Butterfly

The plasma butterfly has only been seen on worlds that feature both humid climates and Forerunner installations.

Blushing Gold Butterfly

Unlike the plasma butterfly, the blushing gold butterfly can survive in many environs, and has even escaped captive study on Earth to thrive in several high-altitude locales.

Halopithicus

Once only pursued by cryptozoologists , Halopithicus was discovered in the jungles outside of New Mombasa in 2329. It is now on the protected list after extensive poaching and experimentation brought it to the brink of extinction.

Greater Elephant Nose

A distant relative to the much smaller Earth-based elephant nose, this one thrives along shore lines, feasting on the many tiny life forms that use the shallows as a safe haven.

African Cichlid

A common cichlid native to Earth, this fish is territorial and aggressive, nesting in the gravel and protecting it's young.

Jungle Rats

Found in every location where mankind lives, these common rats have adapted to jungle life.

Pale Rat

Pale Rats are thought to be a new speciation of the common Jungle Rat. They are slightly larger, with a tapered body and pale or white fur.

Barnacles

Exposed by low tide, these common barnacles cling to the rocks and filter nutrients from the water.

Not Cal vs Stanford, but Still....

Solstice01 with the shooting and the hurting.

On my quest to claw my way back to Skill 27 in Lone Wolves, I sat down after work and fired up the 360. I've come to believe that the skill levels and ranks of your opponents have a direct impact on your skill level at the end of the game. So you can imagine my dismay at seeing that my skill - 25 - was the highest in the room. The others were 24, 22, 21, 21. I knew if I dropped this one, I'd go to 24, which is a loooong way from 30.

The game started badly, and continued to worsen. Before long, the pressure inside my basement was palpable. I would get beat down. I was getting killed repeatedly by a guy on a Ghost. Why I never just avoid the the Ghost I'll never know. The landslide continued, until with just 53 seconds left, I was 4 kills behind the leader and had just died.


I respawned inside the base farthest from the edge of the hills, and as I came out into the sunlight, I shot a guy with the assault rifle. As I turned to the right, another Spartan was jumping over to my position. I quickly finished him off while he was preoccupied with what would be my next victim.

Knowing I was running low on shields and luck, I sprinted back inside the base to come out the other end and flank my enemy. I picked up a dropped needler when he saw me and started to fire the evil Brute Shot. I backpedaled back into the loving arms of the base and threw a grenade to cover my path. He walked through the explosion but was weakened, so I beat him down as he came through the door. My shields were spent and yet another Spartan was following him into the base to take care of me. I sidestepped him when he couldn't turn in time, and assassinated him.

With 15 seconds left, I ran through the base backout into the middle, and saw another enemy trading blows with Mr. Must-Drive-The-Ghost. I killed him and took the lead. The Ghost ended my luck with 3 seconds to go, and at the end, I had pulled the upset.



I'd always rather be lucky than good.

Missile Pod

If you experience a missile pod lasting more than 4 hours.....

Hammering Home the Point

I'll admit something. I'm not very good at Halo 3. Sure I can stick someone from time to time, and snipe if my target isn't moving, and sometimes the sword works for me, but most of the time, I am the hunted, not the hunter. Often times I run for my life, having ran down a blind hallway only to have my shield drain to the sound of assault rifle rounds in my back. I turn and try to fight but it's no use. I'm finished.

As I've played more and more, however, I've improved. Some of it is learning the maps more fully. I've also watched better players that I've played and analyzed their tactics in Theater. Don't laugh, it works. I've seen some incredible game play from some people.

When I got Halo I had several goals. One of them was to make officer. At the rate I was getting owned by everyone and their little sister, I wasn't sure even that would be obtainable. Then something happened: I realized I was good at the game type Crazy King in Lone Wolves. For some reason, I always win. Seriously, I don't have the stats, but I probably win the game 90% of the time. And when I do, my skill goes up one.

With Slayer I can win some and lose some, but usually play well enough to at least not drop more than a point in Skill over multiple matches. But Oddball kills me every time. I always veto Oddball, because I inevitably get to the ball and die, and by the time I respawn, some chump is running around with it like he stole it. (I know, that's kind of the point.)

Last night I was off to a quick start, getting two kills right off the bat in Slayer on the level Epitaph. Then I got caught making a run for the active camo and was gunned down. From there went several tense minutes as the others piled up the kills. With time almost expired, I was down by at least five kills.

Then something happened.

I started to win. I got a hammer, and wore it out on everyone. I got a killing frenzy. I melee'd some folks. I shot some folks. I ran for my life when my shields went red and blinky. And as the time expired, I looked at the result.


That's right, I won by seven kills. This is by far the biggest margin of victory I've personally had in any lobby (ranked, social, Halloween). So I went back and watched what I did and how I did it. Then I tried to replicate it. It didn't work as well. As I write this my skill in Lone Wolves has gone from 27 to 25 as I try for the all-elusive Colonel rank, which is a star.

Oh well, no matter. There's more where this came from - at least on the days where I'm extremely lucky.

Random Image of the Week

First Down!

Halo 3 - The Review

Possible Spoilers ahead. I'll try to be sensitive to those who haven't played through it, but some images might give things away. Just a warning....

While most posts will be somewhat random, I wanted this initial one to simply review the Bungie's Halo 3. Like millions of other fans, I had played the first two Halo games into the ground. I held Halo parties back before Xbox Live was a reality, where we would hook up 4 Xboxes on four TVs and have 16 player Team Slayer matches. I played through both campaigns, carefully watching the cut scenes and plot development. I remember being blown away by Halo: Combat Evolved. The graphics were incredible. And they were. Halo 2 picked up where Halo left off - improving things, deepening the storyline, adding online multiplayer.

Fast forward to September 2007. I have held off buying a $400 Xbox 360 for two years. I never paid for Xbox Live for my Xbox. I've never played Halo with people I didn't have to share my TV screen with. But I knew I had to have one. So on 9/24/07 I bought my 360, opting for the green Halo 3 edition. I actually like the white ones better, but the Halo version has the newer hardware, complete with more reliable heatsinks. I set it up and picked up Halo 3 the next afternoon when I got off of work.

I was eager to play the Campaign mode, which is Halo's genius. Multiplayer works better than any other FPS (first person shooter) multiplayer I've seen, but the storyline is what makes Halo what it is. The story was very polished, with Hollywood quality camera angles, lighting, and voice acting. While I was one of the few who actually liked playing as the Arbiter and learning more about the Covenant Civil War in Halo 2, it was good to see he is still around for the finale.

I played through campaign in several days, sneaking in some social online play here and there, hoping no one would spoil the ending. I won't spoil it here, but I need to say something about the writing and imagery that Halo is built on.

I am a published writer, genre is science fiction. So I can tell you with some authority that creating a marketable, interesting, and original sci-fi story is very difficult. Creating one that rivals Star Wars and the like is next to impossible.

The campaign mode has a lot of replay value built in, due to the hidden skulls, which create new options, meta games, which utilize the skulls and points to make it more challenging, and the cryptic eyeball-shaped Terminals, which hint that more flows under the surface in this game than meets the eye.

The levels are interesting and varied, and I was impressed with how organic everything looked. There's a level where you are inside a Flood infected vessel, and it feels like you are inside someone's large intestine. Pretty gross, but perfect for the stage in the game.

The second part of Halo 3 is of course multiplayer. After two iterations of Halo multiplayer, Bungie has pulled out all the stops. Custom game types, map object editing (called Forge), multiple armor types, more effective weapons, and new vehicles make for hundreds of hours of game play. Add the fact that you know receive rank and experience, which helps determine who you play, and you've got the complete package.

My favorite part of Halo 3, however, came as a surprise to me, and will probably form the foundation for most of this blog's content. It is the Theater Lobby. This lobby stores the last 25 full matches you played in Multiplayer, including any Campaign Levels.

In Theater you have control of the camera in the scene. You can pause, fast forward, move around the level, and for multiplayer, rewind. You can record clips, render screen shots, and even save the whole battle. These files appear on your Xbox 360, on Bungie.net, and can be downloaded to your home computer. I've looked at these image in Photoshop, and they are rock solid. Better than other game's cinematic cut scenes, Halo 3's lighting code is for real.

Is Halo 3 the best of the three Halo games? Yes. Is it perfect? Not really, but you have to split pretty fine hairs to have a problem with Halo 3. The game does have a learning curve, but there's nothing stopping you from playing ranked matches every free moment you have to improve. While you're at it, review the matches in Theater Mode to watch what you did right and wrong. Better yet, keep the camera trained on the guy who won the match, especially if he won big. It might help your strategy the next time you're on the map.

So yes, I bought a Halo 3 Edition Xbox 360, and Halo 3, and accessories all to just play Halo 3. And it was worth every penny. Halo 3 exceeded - and continues to exceed - my expectations.

- Solstice01